The King of the Underworld is Tired Chapter 10 (10/82)
The Story of Tartarus β (1)
The lowest level of the underworld, the world of hell.
The deepest and most secret place underground, where the goddess of night, Nyx, also resides.
It is also the space where the defeated Titan gods, who lost to us, the Olympian gods, are imprisoned.
And I am now heading there.
If you ask why I would go to a prison shrouded in mist, which even the gods avoid...
First, Tartarus is close to my jurisdiction, the underworld, and it is a place that houses extremely dangerous criminals.
Although the three Hecatoncheires brothers guard it as gatekeepers, I also have the duty to check it periodically.
If the Titan gods escape from that hell, the primary responsibility will fall on the three brothers,
but the secondary responsibility lies with me for not responding quickly enough.
I left my bedroom, wearing the Sword of Styx at my waist and light leather sandals on my feet.
In the castle of the underworld, diligent officials and minor gods were busily working for the people.
"Let's postpone the allocation of the newly arrived souls for a while, for now.."
"Lord Moros is temporarily handing over his duties... Oh, Lord Hades!"
"It's a joy that so many souls are choosing to stay here, refusing reincarnation."
"Go ahead and wait for me, let's meet and have a meal in the world of the living."
"Only if we can avoid the blessing of Lethe, hahaha!"
In one hand, a scroll of parchment, and in the other, officials giving instructions to the souls.
Senior soldiers explaining the shift rules to the new soul soldiers.
Young souls playing pranks as they pass through buildings with their translucent bodies.
The spirits of old humans chatting with their neighbors while waiting for reincarnation.
This is the everyday scene of the underworld that I rule.
As I slowly walked, checking on the people, more and more souls began to notice me.
When officials and minor gods tried to follow me to escort, I waved them off and was about to go alone when I saw a familiar face.
"Hades, where are you going?"
Her eyes, extremely tired, were blank and her voice weak.
The goddess with silver hair that reached her waist and a dress that clung to her body is the goddess of forgetfulness, Lethe.
Usually, she would gaze blankly at the riverbank of the River of Forgetfulness, so why did she come here?
It has been a long time since the great flood ended, so there isn't much for her to help with.
"Are those eyes thinking about why I came here..?"
Her voice, which induces a desire to sleep, lingers in my ears.
Her soft, drawn-out voice almost seems to invade the realm of Hypnos, the god of sleep.
She walks slowly and looks up at me with a blank expression.
As if asking why I haven't started yet.
"Ah... It seems you're heading to Tartarus. I'll go with you."
No matter how I look at it, she seems more like the goddess of sleep than the goddess of forgetfulness.
Since walking to Tartarus alone would be lonely, I nodded.
Tartarus is the very bottom of the underworld, the place humans fear the most.
The path leading there is guarded by many soul soldiers I have deployed.
"Glory to the ruler of the underworld."
The translucent souls in armor, holding spears, bow to me and the goddess Lethe.
I appropriately encouraged the guards who were diligently guarding the path to Tartarus today.
"May glory be with the goddess Lethe."
We passed the hearths that Hestia personally made for the underworld and headed deeper into the darkness.
The path downward gradually narrowed and a cold aura began to envelop us.
After passing through a cramped space for a while, a wide road finally appeared, leading to a vast, misty bronze fortress.
As we approached, the massive bronze gates and endless thick bronze walls, crafted by Poseidon, greeted us.
The three Hecatoncheires brothers, who guard this place, are... right there.
The three giant gods, each with fifty heads and a hundred hands, look in our direction.
With a total of 300 eyes looking at us, an indescribable feeling arises.
"Hey, Hades. It's been a long time."
"Ugh? Is Hades here? He must be busy with underworld affairs.."
"Are you finally getting married to Lethe, who's standing next to you?"
The numerous heads on the three giants' bodies greet me and the goddess Lethe.
I greeted them warmly, having not seen them in a long time.
But marriage? The goddess Lethe and I are not in that kind of relationship.
"Looks like it, since you're holding hands."
"Doesn't Hades have Styx?"
"Hahaha! That's so affectionate and nice."
Holding hands? What are they talking about?
I came down here with the goddess Lethe at a distance.
But after hearing their words, I feel warmth in my left hand.
A soft, small goddess's hand.
Turning to look, the goddess Lethe, with her usual blank expression, subtly lets go of my hand.
Or, her face seems to have a slight blush on it...
"Please suppress your power of forgetfulness a bit more."
"Tch... Can't I hold hands..?"
The goddess Lethe, who wields the power of forgetfulness, gradually erases the memories of surrounding life forms even without doing anything.
Of course, there are clear limits. The more one is wary of her, the stronger one is, the less effective her power is.
But she can still play minor pranks by taking advantage of my momentary lapse and make me forget for a while.
When I distance myself from her, I will remember everything again.
She must have approached and held my hand earlier, erasing the memory. Truly, the granddaughter of the primordial goddess Nyx.
From now on, I need to be more alert. Who knows what kind of prank she will pull next.
Turning a slight amount of divine power, my head clears and Lethe's power is instantly dispelled.
"Every day, you only have Styx by your side, it's too much..."
"I have never done that?"
I shook my head at her dejected tone, but her face remained as blank as always.
And I have never had only the goddess Styx by my side.
I mean, the Sword of Styx, not the goddess.
"Hades, Zeus and Poseidon have all found their partners, why are you still...?"
"Why don't you ask Hera, the goddess of marriage and family, to arrange a match for you?"
Zeus's wife is, of course, the queen of the gods, Hera.
And Poseidon married Amphitrite, the sea goddess.
Of course, I was invited to the wedding held in the sea, where I saw thousands of sea creatures that could speak like humans.
There was even a seahorse crying because its father had gone to my underworld.
I later found it in the underworld and gave it some convenience. Is this the weight of being the god of the underworld?
As the king of the underworld, my responsibility, or perhaps a burden that has been erased, could be seen that way.
The increase in my people means an increase in the sorrow of the living in the world of the living.
The more wars, famines, and great floods occur, the stronger the power of the underworld becomes, but I cannot simply be happy about it.
"By the way, tell me what's happening in the outside world."
"Didn't you say you were creating life?"
"I wonder if Zeus, who saved us, is doing well."
I told them about the recent news from the outside world.
I could have had a messenger periodically inform them, but this is a sign of respect.
Respect for the three brothers who made great contributions in the war against the Titan gods.
If the lord of the underworld comes down here to talk, they will not feel neglected.
"What?! To exterminate the human race?"
"Phew... A great flood... Poseidon must have suffered."
"Prometheus was finally thoroughly disfavored by Zeus, tsk tsk.."
"That's right, his prophetic abilities were very helpful during the war.."
The three brothers, Cottus, Briareos, and Gyges, showed great interest in the stories I told them.
With a total of 150 heads, the noise quickly filled the area as they chattered.
At that moment, a loud noise came from the gate that separates Tartarus from the underworld.
The sound of a prisoner in Tartarus pounding on the bronze gate!
The three brothers, Lethe, and I immediately stopped talking and became alert.
Inside Tartarus, a scorching storm rages continuously, feared even by the gods.
It is filled with a power that suppresses the divine abilities of the Titan gods, making it difficult to exert significant strength.
Moreover, while there is little resistance when entering from the outside,
the storm becomes increasingly fierce when trying to leave from the inside.
Therefore, only a few can break through the increasingly strong storm near the bronze gate and pound on it.
Only the strongest among the Titan gods can do this.
"The voice I just heard is undoubtedly my eldest son, Hades! Please... Please get me out of here!"
My father, Cronus, the god of agriculture and time.